Smith's Private Investigations Bureau
by Chibi Mathilda
Summary: Eren and Armin are collage students moving into an apartment above the most famous P.I. agency in town. They think that they have nothing to worry about except for making it through collage...They couldn't have been more wrong! Before they know it they are pulled into a world of crime and danger. Yet maybe it wasn't so bad. Especially not when one could find love there! Levi x Eren
1. A new start

Title: Smith's Private Investigations Bureau

Chapter 1: A new start

Pairing(s): Levi x Eren (Levi tops!) and Erwin x Armin. I might include other pairings at a later time

Please enjoy reading this! It's just an introduction chapter, still I hope you like it ;)

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><p>When Eren and Armin first came across the advertisement in the papers they had been ecstatic A two bedroom apartment for hire in the heart of Trost district that would only cost them 300 dollars a month? It sounded too good to be true… And apparently it was! When Armin called for extra information about the ad, he learned that the low price was because the apartment was situated above the most (in)famous detective agency 'Smith P.I'.<p>

The agency consisted of two detectives who had worked for the Trost Police Department before they had been fired because of their rather unconventional methods. Erwin Smith started the bureau a few months later and within weeks he had hired his former partner, Levi Ackerman. They were the best P.I.'s in town who had a 90% success rate in solving their cases. BUT…! Because they were so good in what they did, they often stepped on some sore toes. And sometimes the people who were slighted by them decided to get payback by hiring some gangsters to 'remodel' the place. And sometimes the apartment above the bureau got 'remodeled' as well. Since nobody wanted to be collateral damage they had to rent the place that cheap.

This revelation left the two youngsters quite unsure with what to do. They were faced with a dilemma about money versus safety. They were after all two college students who worked part-time jobs and therefore rather tight on money. After some previous problems they refused to live in a dorm on campus anymore and wanted a cheap apartment in the city that wasn't too far from either college and their part-time jobs. On the other hand they did not want to get caught in any crossfire about business that had nothing to do with them. They have had enough problems in the past to last them a lifetime. Why would they want to add some more?

In the end Eren's adopted sister made the choice for them. Mikasa – whose last name was also Ackerman much to Eren's amusement – reasoned with the boys for a long time before finally deciding. In the end the reasoning behind her decision was: "I'd rather see your apartment and personal stuff destroyed than you being raped in some ghetto neighborhood. Stuff can be bought again, your personal safety is more important to me." Off course her reasoning had some flaws… It wasn't because they had a tight budget that they had to go and live in a ghetto. And not everybody living in a ghetto was bound to get raped. Besides they were bought men! But to make Mikasa happy they made an appointment with Mr. Smith so they could view the apartment before deciding what to do.

XOXOX

When they got out of the bus they first thing they noticed was the four-floor high building in front of them. It was a normal looking building that seemed to have a garage that seemed to have been entirely made up of the ground floor. A nice detail if they had owned a car… Anyway the front of the ground floor had a small door which was probably the front door with next to that the garage door. On said garage door it said in fancy letters: 'First Floor: Smith P.I.'

"Well at least it is close to the public transportation system." Armin joked. Or at least tried to. The blond was so incredible nervous about what they might find that his voice came out in a high-pitched squeak. Of course his brunet friend was the opposite and had a tendency to run into things head first. It often led to Mikasa and Armin wondering if Eren even had a brain to think with… And if he ever used it. So while Armin was nearly peeing his pants with nerves, Eren was curios and chipper and had absolutely no problems in pulling his friend with him to the front door. After ringing the doorbell and stating that they came for the empty apartment, they were buzzed in with the instructions to come to the first floor.

Once they got to the right floor, they were greeted by a tall guy with blond hair in an undercut and clear blue eyes. While he looked and acted friendly enough his expression was somewhat guarded. "Good afternoon gentlemen. My name is Erwin Smith, founder of the P.I. bureau and owner of this entire building. And who knows maybe your soon-to-be new landlord." This time the smile he showed them was real. The dazzling smile was so contagious that the two youngster found themselves smiling as well. Despite the nerves (at least in Armin's case).

The man shook both their hands and continued to explain some facts about the building. The man might not have been aware of it but he almost sounded like a sale person trying to sell the latest car to some reluctant buyer. "On the ground floor we have a huge garage that can house up to four cars and six bicycles. So feel free to use the garage whenever you need too. On the first floor we have our office. Levi and me would prefer it if you don't come inside unless you absolutely need us for something. That way we can ensure our costumers their privacy as best as we can. " Eren and Armin nodded to show that they understood and for the older man to continue. "On the second floor we have your apartment and above that is mine and Levi's apartment. We took the highest because my partner is quite peculiar about the view from his bedroom window." The man laughed heartily, almost as if he recalled a funny memory. "Do you guys have any questions so far?"

Both teens shook their heads and followed the taller blond up the stairs and into the apartment for hire. When opening the door they were greeted by a small hallways that had 2 doors and some paintings on the wall. "The door on your right is the build-in closet were you can hang your coats and were you can find a shoe-rack to leave your footwear on. Behind the door on the left is a small water closet." At the end, the hallway lead into a generously sized living room with a dining table for four persons, two sofa's and a large T.V.. To the left was an opening in the wall that lead to a small kitchen and in front of them was another small hallway.

In that hallway were another four doors, two on each side. The ones on the right side were the doors leading to the 'small' bedrooms. Well I say small but they were large enough for the boys since they could easily fit a bed, a closet and a desk. They were bigger than the shared bedrooms at the college dorms so the youngsters weren't about to complain about the size.

The first room on the left side of the hallway was that of a bathroom big enough to house the both of them at the same time. It had a bath with a showerhead hanging over, two sinks and again a toilet. The last door in the hallway belonged to a small utility room no bigger than a closet. In here they could find a washing machine, a dryer and some cleaning supplies. Lots and lots of cleaning supplies. All in all it looked like a wonderful place for them to live in.

"As said before I charge 300 dollar a month with an extra of 50 dollar for water and electricity. The 300 dollar does include insurance. So what do you guys think? Euhm is something the matter?" Erwin asked as soon as he saw the confused looks on the other two their faces.

"What exactly do you mean by insurance?" Eren asked.

"Well we do run an P.I. agency here so sometimes people get upset over the outcome of a case and they try to take revenge by destroying stuff in our office. But in the unlikely case that any of your stuff gets broken as well, we have an insurance to cover for it.

Eren and Armin looked each other straight in the eyes and had silent conversation passing between them. Sure there was some sort of risk involved living above a P.I. bureau but it was a really nice apartment that had just the perfect size for them and the rent was really, really cheap. A quick nod between the two best friends and then the blond stuck out his hand for the older blond to shake. "We'll take it!" Erwin smiled and shook the hand offered to him to seal the deal.

XOXOX

Exactly two weeks later the both of them had moved their last stuff into their newly acquired apartment. Within a few days a new year of school would start and later that day, the brunet had to go to work. But for now Eren laid on his bed and unconsciously took a trip down memory lane. He had lost his mom at the early age of 11 and maybe at that time he had also lost his dad. His father was still alive today but after the death of his wife he had buried himself in work and barely came home anymore. He never physically laid a hand on his son but the unintentional neglect took quite a toll on the boy's mental health. Eren started to become brash and often sought out fights just so he could deal with his anger. His sister – adopted into the family at age 7 – tried to stop him but it just got worse and worse the older he became. Until that one time Grisha had been called to school to talk about his behavior. The two of them had gotten in such a big fight and both parties said things to each other that they didn't mean yet hurt so much.

At age 16 Eren finally ran away from home and started living with his best friend Armin and the boy's grandfather. What they thought would become a legal battle over custody over the brunet turned out to be the simplest case ever. On the day the court assembled his father didn't show up because he was too busy at work and couldn't care less about his son. The judges then declared that Armin's grandfather was to became Eren's new legal guardian. Mikasa stayed behind with Grisha because he still talked to her. Maybe because she didn't look like Carla at all? It didn't matter for Eren… He still cared deeply about his dad even if they weren't on speaking terms with each other at the moment. Mikasa didn't mind and she often informed the brunet about his father's health and what not.

At age 18 tragedy stroke again in Eren's life. After catching a complex long infection, Armin's grandfather died, leaving the two boys on their own. The doctors – including Grisha – did everything they could but in the end death's cluthes proved to be to strong. The teens moved into the college dorms after that and got part-time jobs to support themselves a bit. The blond worked in the library and the brunet was a waiter at a small café downtown. They could handle the part-time jobs and their studies but the dorm life sucked. They were unable to share a room, the other kids on their floor were rowdy and more interested in getting wasted/laid/drugged up than studying, and their roommates weren't all that great either. The small, feminine looking blond was paired together with a porn-loving pervert while Eren's roommate could only be described as a complete asshole. By now you can probably understand why they wanted to move out and live on their own.

"Hey Eren I think you should leave now if you want to get to work on time." Armin's soft voice pulled the other teen out of his trip down memory lane and he smiled up at his friend. Saying he would leave in a few minutes. After all he still had to get changed out of his moving clothes.

Luckily for Eren his new apartment was only a short walk away from his part-time job. Being a waiter often worked on his nerves but he got payed well enough and his work hours weren't so bad either. But his boss… When it neared 10 O' Clock and only a few costumers remained the man would often feel the boy up behind the bar. With his short temper, Eren's first reaction was to punch the man a black eye for toughing his butt. But he needed the money his job provided. So much so that he even refused to tell Mikasa and Armin what was going on! Armin would try and convince him to get another job and maybe even file a complaint at the police stations while Mikasa… Let's just say that the man's body would probably never be found.

Time at work flew by and soon enough it neared closing time. So late in the evening there was only one costumer remaining, a guy with jet black hair styled In an undercut and with steely grey eyes. It was the first time the man had visited the café – Eren made it a habit to know all the regulars by name – and so far he had only ordered one coffee while reading through some files. From his position behind the counter, the 19 year old willed the man to stay just a bit longer. After all his boss was hesitant about groping him if there were potential eye-witnesses around. The regulars were kind of used to it by now, they even laughed with it! But you never know how other people might view it…

At precisely 21.55 hours the costumer took his files, laid money on the table and left the small café, much to the brunet's horror. It did not help his nerves that his boss rushed forward and flipped the sign, signaling that they were closed. "So Yeager you and me need to have a little conversation about your work here. Please meet me in the office when you're done cleaning up." Eren had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach while he cleaned the table and put the chairs on top. The feeling intensified while walking to the manager's office.

As soon as he stepped inside, his boss pointed towards a chair and Eren sat down. A glass of water was offered to him and he gratefully accepted it. Just so that he had something to do with his hands… Cautiously he took a sip and pulled a face directly afterwards. The water tasted kind of funny…

"So Yeager the reason I called you here was to talk to you about your family situation. I need this information to complete your file." Eren said nothing but he found it kind of add that such things would go inside someone's file. But it was his first job and what did he know about regulations? "Who are your parents and what do they do for a living?"

"My mom's name was Carla but she died when I was 8 years ago. She was a housewife I think… My father is doctor Grisha Yeager, working for the E.R. department at the Trost Hospital. I also have an adoptive sister about my age named Mikasa. She's of Asian descent."

"My condolences." His boss said in reply ,but Eren just shrugged his shoulders. He disliked talking about his mom, especially towards strangers. "How is the bond with your father? And your sister?"

Again the teen couldn't help but wonder about the strangeness of these questions. But the longer he waited to reply, the longer he was stuck here. "My dad and me don't really speak anymore. I often call my sister to ask how they are doing though."

"So if you go missing there is no one who will immediately notice you missing?" Any alarm bells going off suddenly turned into blaring sirens at that question. He tried to get out of the chair and make a run for the door but the moment he stood up, his head started to spin and he felt faint. With a groan he fell back into the chair. "Thank God! For a moment I was honestly afraid the drug wouldn't work on you." His boss looked down on his with a strange look in his eyes. "Hey Edgar you can come out now. Feel free to examine the good you're about to buy." The man's smile was so predatory that the teen felt truly afraid. Maybe even more afraid than ever before in his life.

Another man – Edgar he presumed – came to stand beside his boss. He looked kind of like a pig and Eren would have laughed at that if the situation hadn't been so dire. Piggy came forward and grasped the boy's cheeks in his hand. "My, my Alfred you've really outdone yourself this time. He's so pretty! And look at those eyes! They look like emerald stones instead of just plain eyes. I'm sure he'll fetch a nice price at the auction next week."

'Auction? About to buy? Bloody hell no!' Green eyes widened even more when he realized that Piggy was a human trafficker and that he was his next victim. Seriously how does he get into shit like this every single time? Someone up there must really hate his guts. Edgar then took his out of the chair and laid him down on the floor. As he felt the cold seep through his shirt Eren truly began to realize the situation he was in. The drug paralyzed his body but his mind was still fully active and he was awake enough to see and hear everything that was going on without being able to do anything about it. It was truly terrifying for the teen.

"Say Alfred… Do you think he's still a virgin?"

"Who knows… Only one way to find out Edgar." They laughed like they just told the best joke ever and started to undress the poor boy. Hot tears burned behind his eyes but Eren didn't know if he was crying out of fear, anger or frustration.

"Okay that is more than enough! Let go of the boy and raise your hands above your heads." A woman yelled out as she stepped into the room with a gun trained on the two men. A light brown haired male was just behind her. He also had a gun trained on Alfred and Edgar.

"Who the fuck are you guys?" Neither Alfred nor Edgar did as they were told. They first looked at each other and then at the two newcomers with cold fury in their eyes.

"I'm Hanji Zoe, detective for the Trost Police Department. Next to me is my partner Moblit Berner. And we're placing you guys under arrest for drugging a minor and human trafficking." The woman sounded oddly enthusiastic about it all. She was even smiling broadly at the two gangsters in front of her. Weird woman…

Unfortunately the two wouldn't go down without a fight. Before anybody could react Edgar had pulled out a gun while Alfred pulled Eren up towards his body. The first then put the gun to the brunet's head before speaking in a quiet but dangerous voice: "You're trespassing so I suggest that you leave now before we shoot you. Or the kid… We can always sat that we acted in selves defense. Say that we thought you were burglars because you never identified yourself. And since you had no right to come inside nobody will question us."

"You stupid idiots! Like anyone will believe a story like that after seeing this tape. Guess what you fuckers… You're caught on camera. So smile!" Stepping out from the shadows was the costume from before only this time he had a video camera in his hands.

The two 'idiots' looked at each other and realized that the game was over for them. They dropped the gun and lifted their hands up in their air as they've been told to do. Hanji stepped forward with her partner to handcuff the two bastards while they mystery costumer walked towards Eren – after putting down the camera of course. "So kid if you can understand me blink once with your eyes." The brunet did as he was told.

"Good. Now I'm going to ask some questions, blink once for yes and twice for no. Can you do that brat?" Even though he was annoyed at the nicknames he still did what the man wanted and blinked once. "Aside from being drugged, are you all right?" One blink. "Can you move anything at all?" Two blinks. "Do you want to go home?" One blink. "Or do you prefer the hospital?" Two blinks. Eren's father worked at the E.R. and he really did not want to risk having to explain this to him, or heaven forbid his overprotective sister!

"Okay home it is. I'm going to help you up in a minute. I've already called a friend of mine who can take you home. Or to the hospital. He'll also stay with you through the night to ensure everything is all right and then tomorrow morning Crazy and Silent will question you. Do you understand all of that?" Apart from the Crazy and Silent – which the boy figured where Hanji and Moblit – he was able to comprehend everything so again he blinked once.

"Clever brat." The man allowed his lips to give a small twitch – probably his version of a smile/smirk – and went about helping the boy sit up straight. Easier said than done really! The brunet's body felt like jelly and Eren kept falling backwards against the man's chest. They finally were able to get the boy into a somewhat seated position when a familiar blond man walked into the office. "Al right Levi I've… Dear Heavens Eren are you al right!" His normal cool and collected composure lost, Erwin Smith was visibly shocked to see the young man there. Naturally Eren was as shocked as he was.

Next to the teen, the raven haired male – now identified as Levi – looked from the brunet to the blond before asking the very obvious question: "You know each other?"

The P.I. cleared his throat and collected his composure before answering. "Starting this morning, he and his best friend Armin Arlert are our new tenants. Levi meet Eren Yeager student at the university and Eren meet Levi Ackerman my partner at the firm."

Eren said nothing since he still couldn't talk and Levi merely raised a brow. "Let's keep the introductions for tomorrow and let this kid get some rest. You're driving blondie." And with that the three of them went home. All the way there Eren was almost afraid who Armin would react… Guess he'll find out sooner than later!

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><p>TBC<p>

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><p>So there first chapter done! Please leave a review to let me know what you thought about it ;)<p>

Also PLEASE READ!:

English is not my first language so mistakes are possible. You are free to point them out (so that I can correct them at a later date) but please do so in a civilized manner. I dislike being called an idiot because my English isn't perfect (happened once and it pissed me off for a few weeks).

I won't update/continue with a story unless I get 1 review! No sense in writing something and putting time in it, if nobody is interested in it ^^"

I work and cosplay so I have little time to write. Update can be slow and take up to a month! Please be aware of this ^^" I try to write faster but it's not easy when you get home exhausted from work -.-"

The rating is M for a reason. Smut will happen in later chapters but I like some character development first so please be patient :D

Some characters may be OOC but I really do my best to keep them as in character as possible. If not please notify me so that I can make corrections ;)

Normally my chapters are around 2000 words so don't expect such a long chapter in the near future xD

See you next time! ^-^

Hugs and kisses

Chibi Mathilda


	2. Interrogation

Here's the second chapter. I would have uploaded it sooner, but the flash-drive I save my stories on decided to crash and I lost all 3000 words 0.0 I managed to retrieve most of it but I had to cut the story short where I did because I can't update for another 2 weeks. And I figured that you might want an update now rather than later ^^" Not much is happening in this chapter but it is just the prologue for the next chapters were the action will start to take place! ;)

Warning: some cursing/bad language(?)

EDIT: so this morning at breakfast, I got 5 reviews saying I uploaded the first chapter again... Oops? ^^" Sorry for the inconvenience guys ^/^" Please enjoy the real second chapter ;)

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><p>With the help Erwin, Levi was able to pick the kid up and walk him to their car. It was awkward to say the least… The blond was about a head taller than the raven-haired male which made the kid hang between them in a rather drunk fashion. If anybody would have seen them like this, they would probably come to the conclusion that they were two friends who were supporting their drunk friend home. All in all it was a miracle that they even made it to the car without falling over or dropping the poor kid. Once they managed to open the back door, they laid him down across the seat. Erwin decided to get in on the other side so he could support the brunet's head and keep an eye on him should his body start reacting to the drugs. After all he had taken a first aid course when he was still in the force so he was the best person to keep watch.<p>

While the blond did that, his shorter companion would drive them home. Even if he would never admit it, the raven-head was relieved that the kid lived in their apartment building. Today had been an extremely stressful and incredible long day which meant Levi would not have been up for a drive all across town. Hell he wasn't even nice enough to do that if Erwin wasn't with him! Hey… Nobody said that a private investigator had to be nice!

When they finally arrived home – it actually was only a 15 minute drive – it was the shorter male who offered to carry the brat upstairs."Are you sure?" Erwin asked looking doubtful at his partner. After all he was doubtful that the other would be able to carry the (slightly) larger, unmoving body of the teen upstairs without any help. But then again, the man was pretty strong for his height. (Don't ever let him hear that or he would kill you!)

"You go ahead and give him friends the heads-up, I rather not deal with a hysterical teenager, thank you very much." Levi's voice lowered and the blond was pretty sure that he was not meant to catch the next part: "Besides you have better people skills than me." Of course being the nice friend that he was, Erwin ignored the last part and walked up two flights of stairs to break the news to Armin that his best friend had been drugged at worked.

It was way more difficult than getting the brat to his car, but in the end the detective managed to drag the kid upstairs and into his apartment. They were greeted by big blue eyes filled with concerned that belonged to a blond-haired kid about Eren's age. It was pretty obvious that this was the brat's best friend. His eyes widened even more when he saw the state his friend was in but he was smart enough not to say anything and just get out of the way so that Levi could pass him without any problems. Erwin pulled the brunet's other arm around him and guided him to the first bedroom. It was then that the younger blond spoke: "you can just drop him on the bed, I'll change his clothing later."

The two P.I.'s did as asked and carefully positioned the boy on the bed. Green eyes locked with steel grey and Levi was surprised to see that the kid was still awake and coherent enough to understand what was going on. The brunet took one large gulp of breath before croaking out a barely audible thank you. The moment the words left his lips he promptly passed out. The shorter male eyes quickly darted to his companion who pressed two fingers to Eren's neck. Checking his pulse seemed a bit unnecessary but Erwin would rather make sure that the kid was fine. He also held his hand a little ways from the kid's mouth to check his breathing. "Everything seems fine. I guess exhaustion finally took over, after all he's been through a lot this evening. We'll let him sleep for now, he's going to need it I'm afraid." The last part of this statement was directed to the brat's friend. What was his name again…? Allen? Armand? Ar-something?

"I understand. Can I just change him into his sleeping gear?" Armin asked timidly, almost afraid to look the older two males in the eye.

"Of course you can. We can even help you if you want? And while we do that, I can give you a rundown of what happened tonight?" The kid muttered his thanks and walked towards the closet in the room to retrieve some clothing for his friend. In the mean time Erwin started his explanation while Levi started undressing the brat. When he removed the teen's t-shirt and saw Eren half-naked he could not help but stare at his chest. The black-haired male could understand why Alfred and Edgar wanted the boy… With his lightly tanned skin, enormous green eyes, boyish features, messy brown hair and the faint outlines of abs he was indeed very easy on the eyes. If the two had managed to get the brat auctioned off, they would have made a lot – and he really meant a lot! – of money because of him.

Levi was pulled out of his musing when Erwin pulled anther shirt over Eren's head and when Armin went about changing the boy's trousers he made himself look away. All in all he was glad when they were done and he could go upstairs to sleep. As he made himself comfortable in his bed he could not help but have this feeling that he would be seeing a lot more of the green-eyes boy in the future.

XOXOX

The following morning found a really grumpy Levi being woken up by the insistent ringing of the doorbell. The man wasn't a morning person but getting awakened like this? Let's just say that they raven-haired male was ready to kill someone. Preferably the idiot standing at the door at this early hour. Although he had a pretty good idea who it was.

He heard Erwin moving around in the room next this his and decided that he would let the other deal with the embodiment of energy (Hanji) and turned around in bed to get a few more hours of much needed sleep. Last night had been pretty tiring for him. The kid might not have weighed a lot but carrying someone who was bigger than him wasn't all that easy either. Luckily his friend had been level-headed. If he had to deal with an hysteric teenager that late at night he would have killed someone – probably Erwin for dragging him in this stupid P.I. bureau in the first place.

He'd just closed his eyes when his bedroom door slammed open and the crazy woman skipped inside. "Levi it's 7 O' Clock in the morning! Rise and shine baby!" The man felt his eyes twitch rather dangerously at the word 'baby' and had Moblit not dragged his partner away at that moment he would have shot her. It was way to early to deal with shit like this!

Reluctantly he left the confinements of his bed and left the room, a thundercloud hanging about his head. As soon as his eyes landed on one specific brunet his glare intensified and he finally snapped: "Call me baby one more time you fucking four-eyes and I'll make you wish you were never born to begin with!" For once she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. She might be bat-shit crazy but she had no desire to die just yet. Thank you very much! Especially not by the hands of a grumpy dwarf with a shitty mood. But don't tell him that!

"Anyway we're sorry to wake you up this early in the morning but we need mister Yeager's statement before going in for work. And well… We figured that you would want to be present so that you could finish your own casefile." Moblit explained in a way to calm Levi down.

It obviously worked since the other sighed and walked towards the bathroom. He reappeared fully clothed and refreshed about 10 minutes later. No-one said anything as the group walked downstairs. On the floor below them Erwin gently knocked on the door. It didn't take long before a small blond with blue eyes opened it.

"Good morning mister Smith, what can I do for you?" The kid asked while his eyes looked at the four rather questionably. Levi could still remember this kid from last night. He was Armin Arlert, Eren's housemate and best friend. While he looked like he wanted to break into hysterics last night, he had stayed calm and helped the shorter male greatly. Levi had then decided that the brat wasn't so bad as other brats. He looked calmer than last night but it was obvious that he that he didn't have much sleep last night, judging by the dark circles under his eyes.

"Good morning Armin, please call me Erwin from now on." A smile was flashed at the kid who was blushing like some schoolgirl and the black-haired male resisted the urge to puke. "These policemen are here for Eren. Can we come in?"

"Ah yes of course, I'm sorry!" The smaller blond quickly stepped out of the way so that they could enter the apartment. In some silent agreement, all four of them sat down in the two sofa's placed in the living room. The small blond walked into the bedroom to wake up his friend before coming back to them.

"Eren will be out shortly. Can I offer you something to drink while you wait?" He asked while looking at the floor shyly. Obviously he did not like being in the center of attention.

"Some tea for me please". Erwin asked politely.

"Coffee!" Hanji shouted and quickly added "Please" when Levi shot her a look. He hated rude people…

"Water." Moblit mumbled under his breath. He spoke so quietly that everybody had to strain to hear him.

"I'll have some tea as well please. Thank you." Levi grunted. Normally he didn't drink anywhere else, or at least not until he knew how clean the cups were. But right now he would try to let go of his – slightly – OCD tendencies out of politeness. And if the cups were to dirty he would simply not drink from it.

Armin walked into the kitchen at the same time Eren walked into the living room. He looked better than last night the man thought. He also couldn't help but think that the brat had some great legs on him. Now that he was wearing sleeping shorts, you could not really look past it. And Levi had looked away last night out of embarrassment. The brat yawned before taking a seat before the other four people.

"Good morning Eren, I'm detective Hanji. You remember me from last night?" When the brat nodded she continued. "I had some more questions to ask you, in order to complete our file. Do you mind answering them?" The kid shook his head but started wringing his hands. A clear sign that he was nervous and rather not be here right now. But he knew that he didn't really have a chose. "During Alfred's and Edgar's questioning last night, they asked you if you had any family members keeping in though with you. You said no, could you elaborate on that please?"

"My father doesn't really give a shit about me. After my mom died he buried himself in his work and since then I've barely seen him. Frankly I don't think he knows he still has a son. My – adopted – sister still lives with him, so I'm kept up-to-date about his condition and health but other than that I know nothing about his life right now." The brunet looked at the floor desperately trying to avoid looking anyone in the eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Hanji answered but you could tell she really meant those words. "Let's move on to the next question shall we? I've read your file last night and noticed that you got in a lot of fights when you were younger. However there was one part of your file that was censored. Can you tell me something about it?"

"NO! I refuse to tell you about that! If you want to know, go ask a judge for a warrant because this interview is over." Eren stood up and was about to walk back to his room when he was intercepted by his housemate. Armin gently grasped his shoulders and started to rub them up and down in a soothing matter. Erwin glanced over at Levi and both were wondering the same thing right then: were these two an item?

"Eren I know you hate talking about it, but if they find out because of a warrant things will look a whole lot worse than when you tell them now. If you tell them now, you can give them a full explanation. So please, will you answer the lady's question? If not for you, then for me?" Blue eyes locked with green and while the other three guys in the room tried not to snort at the fact that Hanji just got called a lady – which she was not! – Eren made a decision and sat back down in his chair.

"All right I'll tell you what happened but you have to hear the whole story. Otherwise you'll end up thinking of me in the wrong light." His green eyes were practically begging them and Levi couldn't not help but wonder what had happened to this boy in his past to make his this insecure. He mind ceased to function when the next words out of the brat's mouth were: "When I was 8 years old I killed a man."

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><p>I hope you like this chapter ! ^-^<p>

Please leave a review if you did. I'll update when I get at least one of those ;)

**QUESTION ASKED BY PurpleOmpski**: "Do I have to review for every chapter in order to keep the story going?" = Well if you don't want to review, you don't. It's not like I'm making you or that I can order you to review. If you did not like the chapter or know nothing to say about it or (like me at times) are to lazy to leave a review, then so be it. All I said that is: that I would like 1 review before continueing just to know my writing is appreciated and I don't spend my time writing a story nobody is interessted in ^^" I mean... if about 10 people read a chapter at least one of them is bound to review (I hope ^^") So no, you yourself do not have to review every single chapter. I hope this answers your question? ;)

Hugs and kisses

Chibi Mathilda


	3. Monster

And here's chapter 3 ;)

**Warnings**: Some OCCness because of Eren but it needed to be done to make the story more believable ^^" I'm sorry if it bothers you and I promise to keep them more in character from now one! Or at least from chapter 4 onwards xD

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><p>"I killed a man when I was just 8 years old." Green eyes burned with unshed tears and suddenly Eren felt ashamed to even look at the other people in the room. He quickly averted his eyes to look at the floor. If anything he rather not see the disgust and hatred in their eyes. It had taken him years to get over the traumatic events to lead him to meet his adopted sister Mikasa and to relieve them now made him want to curl up in bed an bawl his eyes out. It was only when he felt Armin place his hand on his shoulder that he snapped out of his thoughts and started telling his story.<p>

"Before my dad started working as an emergency doctor in Trost Hospital he was a General Practitioner in Shingashina with the Ackerman family being his most visited patients. The mother was of Asian descent and incredibly beautiful but of very poor health. She often got sick with colds which made it impossible to for her to have a job that required her to go out every day so she worked from home as a seamstress. She worked 7 days a week, often working as much as 14 hours a day just so she could pay the rent at the end of the month. The father had been a police officer in the Shingashina force when one day he got shot in the back when he visited the bank on his day off. Since he got hurt while off duty, the force refused to pay his hospital bills and pension. He was paralyzed from the waist down so he had no way of working. It was low and selfish what the force did to him but what can you expect when knowing that most officers are corrupt? Their daughter was 1 year younger than me and had trouble making friends at school because of her mixed heritage."

"One day my dad wanted me to go with him when he visited the family. I never was a social child but I did stand up against bullies and managed to befriend all sorts of social _'outcasts'_". When he said the last word, Eren made quotation marks in the air with his fingers before glancing sideways at his best friend. Armin had been one of said outcasts when they first met. The blond had been driven into a corner by 3 large bullies who had wanted to steal his lunch money. Eren had fought with them to save the blond even though they didn't know each other before. The brunet had gotten quite the beating but it had been worth it since they had become best friends after that.

"Like I was saying the mother was very pretty and her looks had gotten her the attention of the most dangerous gang leader around: George Wilkins. One day he made her an offer that she couldn't refuse… Or more like that she wasn't allowed to refuse. He'd pay her a 1000 dollar if she would sleep with him for just one night. Of course she refused! She would never betray her husband like that and no matter how bad they had it, she wouldn't fall so low as to prostitute herself. However Wilkins wasn't a man who took rejection kindly and he ordered to have the husband killed and her and her daughter brought to him. He would take her one way or another."

"When we arrived the man had been lying dead on the floor and the woman had been barely alive. Apparently there had been a struggle and she had fallen down, hitting her head on the table. The thug left her to die and took Mikasa with him. When we found them, my dad immediately called an ambulance and the police while tending to the woman. He ordered me to go wait outside because he didn't want me to see the dead person for too long." At this point in time Eren stayed silent for a moment. He needed to gather his thoughts for the next part of his explanation. Armin must have sensed his difficulty because he began to knead his shoulder. The teen looked up at the blond's reassuring smile and gave a shaking one in return. While doing this he missed the look shared between Erwin and Levi. Nor did they see Hanji raise her eyebrows. Eren gripped the hand on his shoulder and took a deep breath. Then he continued…

"Outside I saw droplets of blood on the ground. Till this day I still don't know what exactly possessed me to do so… But I decided to follow them and see where they would lead me. At the end of the trail was a door of some run-down shack that looked like it could collapse at any minute. I went around back and entered through the back door which had been left open. It connected to a small kitchen. One of the drawers had been pulled out and was lying on the floor. The cutlery that had been in it was lying all across the floor. Thinking I might need something to defend myself with I picked up a knife and walked towards the other room.

It was getting harder and harder for Eren to relive this part of his part and it showed in the way he took shallow breaths, how he was unable to look anyone in the eye and in the way he was shaking. He started stuttering and the tears he had so stubbornly kept at bay were now freely running down his cheeks, yet he never even noticed.

"Inside there was a small Asian girl about my age and a big man standing above her, ready to strike her. My feet moved on their own and before I realized what I had done, the knife was sticking out of the man's lower back. He fell to the ground and u rushed forward to release the girl from her bonds.

"They were nearly off of her when the man stood back up and grabbed me by the neck. He simply pulled me away, punched me in the face and threw me away like some rag doll. Then… H-He sta-st-started chocking Mi…kas-sa!" He couldn't take it anymore! Eren Yeager was not weak at all, he had a short fuse, often found himself in fights and he had been in the hospital more times than he wanted to remember thanks to him breaking various bones all throughout his body. Yet right now he wanted nothing more than to run away and locking himself in his room while crying his eyes out. Damn these policemen! Damn them to hell for making his relive all these painfull memories he tried so hard to forget about!

He took a few deep breath to calm himself down and tell the rest of the story without stuttering as much as he just did. "I couldn't do anything but jump on his back and hit his head with my fists. Finally he let Mikasa go and turned his attention to me. He… He flung me away again and I landed on the ground right next to the knife I used earlier. The man then…" The boy's breathing accelerated as he remembered the next part and he unconsciously touched his neck. "He grabbed me by the throat while sitting on top of me. I scrambled around for something to defend myself with and my fingers found the knife… So I plunged it forward.

"I guess I must have blacked out after that because the next moment I'm in the ambulance with Mikasa. The medic with us told me that I'd stabbed the man in the heart and instantly killed him." Green eyes finally looked up at their visitors. "Do you understand now why I wanted to keep silent?" Eren's voice was rising with every word. "I'M NOTHING MORE THAN A FUCKING MONSTER WHO KILLED A MAN WHEN HE WAS 8!".

The other 4 were silent for a little while, letting everything sink in. It took a few seconds before any of them reacted but in the end it was Moblit who stood up and walked towards the two teens. He carefully took the brunet's hands in his and looked him straight in the eyes. "You are NOT a monster Eren! In fact… You saved a girl's life so that makes you a hero in my book. And before you say anything more… Yes you killed a man but only in self-defense. He would have killed you and … euh… Mikasa? Yes Mikasa without even so much as a blinking. So please Eren stop blaming yourself."

It was the first time anyone had ever said something like that to him and it came like such an immense relief. In fact the boy was so surprised that all the years of guilt and self-loathing came out in one gigantic waterfall of tears. Snot was leaking out of his nose but Eren didn't care as he let out a wail and buried his face in Moblit's neck. "Besides brat we killed a lot more scum while being in the force. Do you think we are mass murderers because of that?" Levi asked and when the brunet mumbled out a no he asked a second question: "Then why would you think your case is any different? It was you or him so your survival instincts kicked in. Which is completely normal by the way." By now the boy had stopped crying and a small, uncertain smile graced his lips.

"I just have one last question…" Hanji said in a sing-song voice that cause the 5 males in the room to groan. "Are you and the cute blonde a couple?" Both boys turned bright red at the question and and while the brunet started stuttering out a negative answer, Armin was quick to say: "Eww no!" The blond scrunched up his nose at the thought and Eren felt just slightly offended by the gesture.

"Well I didn't mean to offend you but it just looks like the two of you have a very strong bond, so I naturally assumed you were more than good friends." She sounded slightly apologetic.

This time it was Armin who looked at the floor with a sad look on his face. "I nearly lost Eren once so I'm just scared to lose him again." The boy in question said nothing but looked the other way. He knew what the blond was referring to but… This time his friend knew nothing of what really happened.

'_You killed one of my man so it's only natural I take your life' The man grinned widely as he shoved the barely 9 year old boy in the chest. Eren – who had been standing precariously on the edge of the cliff – lost his balance and fell down. He remembered feeling a blinding pain all through his body and then nothing…_

"Ever since they were rescued people looked at Eren with distrust as if he was a monster. They were also scarred that Wilkins would take out his anger on the town. So they began avoiding him, whispering behind his back and shunning him and his family…" Large blue eyes looked at him with sadness but the boy simply refused to meet them. "I guess you couldn't take any of it anymore… That's why you did it right?"

"Eren." Erwin's voice sounded commanding when he said his name. "What did you do?" But still the teen refused to answer. He didn't do anything, but if he said something about it, then surely Wilkins would come after his family. It may have happened over 10 years ago but the Mafia never forgets… And they never forgives. And so Eren would continue to hold his mouth and pretend that what happened that day had nothing to do with Wilkins.

"Well he… Eren… He tried to kill himself. When he didn't came home for dinner that day I went out looking for him. And… I found him lying at the bottom of the cliffs near his house." When Armin had finally found him that man had already left and the boy had been barely alive. His heart stopped a grant total of 5 times on the way to the hospital and he had been in a coma for 2 months but in the end he had come through. His parents had adopted Mikasa in the mean time and the family moved away to Trost. They all accepted that Eren had tried to commit suicide never even once stopping to think that maybe he had been attacked. And Eren – to afraid that something would happen to his family – let them think that.

"I'm terribly sorry but I would like you all to leave now. I'm tired and would like to go back to bed." He stood up and while planning to walk away his eyes met with steel grey ones. And he could read the message in them quite easily: 'I know you're lying brat and I'll find out the truth.' The brunet swallowed and looked away. For some reason he felt like his life just became a lot more difficult…

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><p>TBC<p>

I hoped that you all liked this chapter! It was difficult to write and quite heavy as well ^^" Still it was necessary to introduce one of the more important plot's into this story. I'm sure you can all guess a little bit of what is going to happen next ;)

Q&A time:

**Animelover0818: **"How many chapters do you think this will have? Because I want to go through until the end with it. Also, what about the Dragon series that you have? Are you going to continue with them?"

~ This story will hopefully be around 10 chapters, maybe 20 if I get really inspired As for my D. Gray-man stories: they are on indefinite hiatus until I find inspiration to continue them. Which probably won't be for a long time to come :(


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